Android Community Weekly Digest: Jun. 21, 2015

This was definitely an action packed week, and we almost mean that literally. E3 2015 was, unsurprisingly, packed full of neat treats, some of which have been promised for Android as well. But aside from the avalanche of game announcements, we do have a few things that have kept us on our toes this week as well, including what might have been open season on smartphone flagships, with some of the key handsets experiencing major problems. Welcome to this week’s edition of Android Community Weekly Digest, covering June 15 to June 21, 2015.

Games everywehere!

Although E3 was naturally overflowing with games for PCs and consoles, that doesn’t mean that mobile was in any way left out. Some major revelations have been made, including the promise of a few hit titles. Square Enix was one of those few to give us a treat, promising Lara Croft GO and Kingdom Hearts Unchained χ (pronounced as “key”) for mobiles. The former is a game straight from the heart of Hitman GO, swapping out tense action gameplay for a more relaxing turn-based strategy. Kingdom Hearts Unchained Key, on the other hand, will be the first time the franchise will land on mobile and will have ties to the upcoming Kingdom Hearts 3. The original Final Fantasy VII might also be making its way, though it has been specifically mentioned for iOS. Hopefully, Android won’t be far behind.

Although it didn’t exactly happen at E3, the timing couldn’t have been better. It seems that Razer has indeed finally bought OUYA, though we’re still waiting for official word from either company. If true, this pretty much marks the end of a chapter in the former Kickstarter darling’s book, or maybe even closes the book for good. In the meantime, Razer’s Android TV attempt, the Razer Forge TV, has hit Google Play Store, so do check that out if you’re a fan of their products.

For a slightly different take on an Android gaming device, Snail Games’ W3D smartphone handheld is up for pre-order on Amazon. Think Archos’ GamePad, except in a smaller, handier, phablet size.

Flagships in trouble

HTC and Sony might no longer feel too lonely. At least for the time being. It seems that other premiere 2015 smartphones, specifically the LG G4 and the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, might have run into some trouble of their own. The LG smartphone was reported to be having some random touchscreen problems that are affecting many, but not all, owners. Samsung’s twin flagships, on the other hand, are affected by two separate problems. One relates to disappearing Quick Toggles after an upgrade and another is a more widespread security issue that plagues its SwiftKey-based virtual keyboards. The good news is that the OEMs have given word of fixes underway.

Of course, Sony can only do so much to fix its own problems. Another video surfaced that pointed out to the Xperia Z4/Xperia Z3+’s never-ending unpopularity. Pitted against the Xperia Z3 and its lower Snapdragon 801 processor, the 2014 flagship fared better than this year’s titleholder. The reason? Aggressive CPU throttling on the Xperia Z4 due to heat problems.

Bits and Bytes

Despite problems with the Snapdragon 810, OnePlus proudly announced that its OnePlus 2 will actually run on that same chip. But before you start pulling your hair out, the startup assures its fans that it will be version 2.1 of the chips, supposedly the fixed version. That said, the Xperia Z4 supposedly has that exact same chip as well. Reacting to the flood of comments that ensued, OnePlus asks the public to keep calm and just wait for the magic that they will do.

Another surprise this week is Adobe. Making true its promise of showering some love on Android, it has released four new apps for our favorite platform. Sadly, not all major ones though, but it’s definitely a start. In particular, Photoshop Mix would be a stand in for Photoshop Touch, which the company is retiring.

Wrap-up

We definitely have a lot to look forward to in Android gaming, but most of those won’t be coming until later this year at the earliest. In the meantime, it seems that things are ramping up when it comes to rumors of upcoming new smartphones due in September. Or, if some rumors are right, we might even see them as early as August! In the meantime, enjoy a game trailer or two.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55-aj53VpXA